Absolution
by DoggoWoof
Summary: To what extent are you willing to forgive someone? Your hesitance will only hurt in the end. Wolf/Fox Krystal/Panther


…

"Huh?"

Bewildered, Wolf stood at the door of his bedroom. She'd returned, that _damned _blue vixen. What did she want?

"Can we talk?"

"Tch, got nothin' to say to you." Nearly slamming the door, Wolf turned to return to bed, only for it to be stopped by Krystal's foot. "Why you here, blue?"

"Can we talk?"

"What you _think _we're doin'?"

"_Actually _talk, Wolf. I know saying sorry isn't enough, but... I'd like another chance." Really, she has the _audacity _to come back? His fist clenched, but he stilled his anger. She just _had _to come now, couldn't let him sleep or do _anything _better with his time; still, he relented and opened the door wider.

"Fine." Ushering her away, he stepped out into the cold halls. Like hell he was going to let her inside his room, they would talk somewhere more mutual. Where, left him in question though. Running through his options of the dining room, kitchen and lounge, he settled on the former. Panther was most likely chilling in the lounge, and Wolf _really _didn't want him to see Krystal, especially vice versa.

Several things Wolf wanted to say to her sprung to mind, mainly _"get the fuck out", _but he settled on being civil. She had been an asset to them before, and if they can move past what happened it would be for the better. Still, it was some work to get over. Honestly Wolf wasn't even all that upset about it.

It was the look on Panthers face which bothered him.

Arriving, Wolf kicked out a chair and sat at the opposite end, his tired, grumpy face exchanged with a serious, pensive glare. His long lasting practice of this skill proved effective, turning from Wolf to _Lord O'Donnell _at the drop of a hat; nothing less from the leader of Sargasso. Or rather, _Ex-Leader._

"Right, let's talk. What are you doing here?" Wolf began, drumming his fingers against the table. Aiming to put Krystal more on nerve, rushing her and forcing a tempo to their conversation. People were much more likely to slip up and say the truth if lying when put on the spot. Years in the business taught him how to deal with traitors, and she was getting _zero _more chances.

"I told you, I'd like another chance."

"Right, you did tell me that, so tell me something _new._ What _made _you come back?"

She bit her lip. "Star Fox just... Isn't the place for me."

"What makes you think _this _is your place, girl?" His stare unnerved her, she _must_ have known full well how difficult this was going to be, and just how outmatched she was. He knew she could, and would, usually probe people's minds, know how they feel and what to say, except that would amount to nothing here. She'd tried long ago, his mental fortitude was too much to overcome, and he _knew. _Nobody had _ever _been able to tell before.

This was a whole new level. "I know I've done some... _questionable _things, but I'm willing to repent for them and fix them." The pace of the drumming sped up, not helping her situation. "You don't have to trust me right away, and I'm not expecting the same wages as the rest of the team. I'll work my way back up so you _can _trust me."

"It's not that easy, girl."

Krystal's ear twitched. _Girl. _He internally smirked at his success. "I know, I don't care how hard it is, I just can't stay there." It was just another one of his tactics, repeatedly use the same term as if she was less than him to wind her up, but it seemed she wouldn't let it bother her. Wolf already knew of her skills, and gender doesn't mean shit to _anyone_ in the sky, and yet he found it was still an easy way to rile them up them; the lingering self conscious thoughts society had left on her, what _Fox _had left on her, were hard to remove.

A frown etched onto her face, defiance saying she wouldn't let him win.

"What makes you think I want someone I can't trust with me? I couldn't care _less _what I have to pay my men, as long as I know they're loyal." Wolf stopped his tapping, now opting to cross his arms.

"I know, but look, there's noth—"

"No _you _look. I don't care what you do now, it's what you _did. _You don't know just how much you fucked us."

"I do, and I want to try fix it."

Wolf snarled. "Tell that to _Panther!_"

"I..." Her ears wilted. Krystal broke his heart, and Wolf wasn't about to let it happen again.

No excuses.

"You might think it's alright coming back and apologising, but you don't know what you did to him." His composure was lost, he was back to being Wolf, whether that would work in her favour or not he didn't know — nor did he care; These words needed to be said. "At first I was glad, I didn't have to see you two all over each other. It was easy dealing with his pining when you weren't here, but you gave him the thought of having the slightest chance with you... And you _crushed_ it."

"I know what I did, and how terrible it was. I thought I loved Fox, I really did, and I couldn't bare to leave him. But that was stupid." She grimaced, lip gently quivering. "And with that, I shouldn't have lied to Panther." The words were seemingly forced from her mouth; bad memories. "I was leading on Panther, at first I used it to gain his trust." Yet she still managed to show a melancholic smile. "But during that time, I enjoyed his company more and more."

Wolf's glare lightened slightly, controlling his anger again. "And you blew it."

"I... I know. I can't say sorry enough, to throw away a chance at a true relationship with someone who I fooled myself into loving." Wolf's eyes shifted to the door for a moment, then flicked back towards her.

"You're saying you _want _to be with Panther?" His eye probed her for answers, leaning forward in an attempt to press the answer out of her.

"I don't know," She began, a lost expression on her face. "admittedly what I _really _want is to be a part of the team, but if he's willing to forgive me, I can't say I wouldn't want that too."

…

"Wolf?"

"Damn it, blue, let me think." He rose from his seat, walking towards the door. "Stay here."

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Krystal let out a gentle smile. _Blue. _She was getting somewhere. Of course, it wasn't over. It wouldn't be over for a _long _time.

The door closed behind him, glancing down the corridor where they had come from. "You were listening, weren't ya..."

"I'm sorry, boss." Panthers meek voice spoke behind.

"Don't be. What ya' think..?"

"About..?"

Wolf rolled his eyes. "Don't play dumb now. You believe her?"

"I want to." Panther looked as equally upset as the vixen inside, perhaps more.

"She broke your heart, Panth." Clenching his fist, Wolf turned to face him. "How can you say that? How can you trust her?"

Panthers brows parted. "Just because my heart was broken, doesn't mean it can't be fixed."

_But she was the one who broke it. _The thought baffled Wolf. Someone who's hurt you will only hurt you again. It's all the same, _they're _all the same. To trust that won't happen again is idiotic, he was throwing himself into danger and it pained Wolf to see it.

However, in the end, _Panther_ was the one to forgive — not him. "You sure about this?" Wolf couldn't help smile at the small nod of Panther's head. "Tch, fine, shoo. Don't want you two meeting right now."

"Thanks, boss."

Wolf smirked. "It's Wolf." One small bow, and Panther was gone. _Gotta work that outta him._

The door re-opened, Wolf beckoning for Krystal to rise. "Up."

She walked over with a perplexed gaze, standing next to him. "Your room." Wolf continued.

"Really?! B-but Panther?" She took a downward glance, her ears following in the same direction. Wolf placed his hand against her head, ruffling gently.

"Don't worry 'bout it. He's fine." He knew as much as it made her feel like a kid, it also soothed her. Wolf cares for his team, whether he's willing to admit it to himself or not. Even with what little time she had spent before with them he'd realised that, and in a way had bonded with Krystal too. "Come on."

The two stopped in front of Wolf's door again, as he made his move to go in. "I'm sure you remember but, 2 doors, on the left. I gotta get back to bed, my feet are _freezing_."

Krystal grasped his wrist. "Wait, Wolf, that's not all I wanted to say."

"Huh?"

"Fox says he wants to meet with you."

…

"_What?!"_

* * *

"Ugh, how long does it take?" Fox found himself spinning in his office chair in boredom, flicking open his phone checking his notifications. None. _Hurry up. _Spinning the object around to busy himself, thinking in retrospect that he should have pulled out his desk and done this in his bedroom. Their meeting room had _nothing, _not even some sort of painting or poster or _anything _he could force interest in to tell himself he wasn't bored. Staring at the blank metal walls proved tiresome.

He'd already been informed of Wolf's arrival, Peppy was probably shaking him down for weapons; something Fox _specifically _said not to do. Or maybe Falco's grilling him? _God, can't they just let me do my thing?! _At least Slippy was still scared of Wolf, otherwise he'd probably be getting in Fox's way too. That frog could talk for _hours._

A mechanical whir brought Fox's attention forward, revealing a rather smug wolf. "Didn't trust me, huh?" Grin accompanying Wolf's statement, hands raised in a lax shrug.

Fox sighed. "Just so you know, I told them not to."

"Ah, whatever." Wolf moved closer, sitting opposite Fox not waiting for an invite. "So, ya wanted to talk?"

"Right." Fox flicked his phone closed, placing it to his side.

"Well, I'm talkin'."

"Can't you take this more seriously?" Fox rolled his eyes, earning a small snicker from the other man. "How much did Krystal tell you?"

"Well," Wolf raised his hand, displaying 4 fingers "she wanted to join our team, you wanted to talk with me, something something Anglars, and something about our bounty." Lowering each finger following each statement. "Or maybe it was Aparoids? Who knows, they all sound the same."

"Right, _specific_." _Whatever, I'd have to go through it all anyway. _

"So, whatcha want?" Wolf leaned to the side, resting his head against his palm; of course with that incessant (playful?) smirk.

"Wait, you came here not knowing that?"

"Eh, figured you wouldn't do anything." Wolf's right ear flopped down. _"Figured you'd think the same but..."_

The unnecessary quip slightly irked Fox, pursing his lips for a moment. "Again, I did. I'll have to have words later."

"Relax, I'm joking." Wolf laughed, swatting with his free hand. His accentuated mannerisms only served to annoy Fox more, and something on Wolf's face informed him that Wolf knew what he was doing. _He's enjoying this._

This plan sounded better in his head. Fox had planned ahead what he _wanted _to say, but where could he start? Their pasts were far too complex to just pick up from somewhere, and it's not like they could start from the beginning. Options swarmed around in his head, leaving him at a loss of which to choose. "Well?" Wolf cut into his internal debate.

"Hm, is there anything that _you _wanted to talk about?"

"That's not how this is supposed to work." Wolf laughed (at him?) again. "But, sure. What made you _want _to talk with me? Last time I checked we weren't particularly on 'good' terms." He raised his fingers to provide air-quotes.

"That's true, which is why I thought I could use this to fix that!"

Wolf's eyes narrowed. "Go on."

"There's no need for us to be rival teams, is there? I think it would be beneficial if we could move past it."

"_Move past it, _huh?" He removed his head from his hand, now sitting upright. "Ok, colour me interested. But what makes you think we can do that?"

Fox's ears perked. "Well, I think we can! I've already forgiven you for everything you've done." Wolf clicked his tongue. "We could even be friends, you know? I think you're just misunderstood by everyone, but I get it." Fox's beaming face contrasted with Wolf's own. Impartial, but _aggravated? _"I could even sort out your bounty, I don't think it's fair for you to have it, after all the good you've done for us too!"

"Right..." Wolf looked more disinterested by the second, more focused on playing with his claws than listening. Despite that, there was still something fierce in his eye. "You might have a point, perhaps I am misunderstood."

"Yeah! And if everyone knew how you actually are, they won't hate you. And, I never thanked you for saving me that one time."

"Don't get me wrong, pup." _Pup?! _Wolf's fanged grin was gone, replaced with a stern glare. "It's not like I saved you because I like you or anything."

"Hm?"

"I did what I had to; to survive, not to be _friend._" His demeanour took a turn. "Don't give me that shit."

"But, surely you could've lived without me? That always bothered me, why you went out of your way to."

"You _really _think that? Who else was gonna take out the queen? Like they'd give _me _the chance. But you were right about one thing."

Fox didn't like where this was going. He noticed the others fist clenched against the table. "What's that?"

"I am misunderstood; not by them, but by _you. _And I don't have the time to listen to this pompous bullshit any longer." Wolf rose from his seat, roughly pushing it out from his way.

"Wait, Wolf! What do you mean?" Fox's outstretched hand met nothing in return. "Don't you want to be pardoned?"

"Sure, who in the right mind _wants _a bounty? But you've made a critical error in your reasoning." Wolf turned, the hatred in his eye piercing Fox's body. "You _forgive me?! _Rich. Come back when you learn a thing or two, pup."

With that, he was gone, regardless of Fox's protests. He slumped down in his chair, placing a hand to his head. "Fuck. _Fuck! _What did I do wrong?" Falco entered the room shortly after, a mug of coffee in his hand.

"Well, that was quick." He joked, taking a sip. "Looked mighty pissed too, what you do?"

"Nothing! I think... He was just arguing for no reason." Fox's arms fell to the side, laying limp. "I told him I forgive him, I don't see what's wrong with that?"

"Heh, he did a good job to be honest; if I were in his place I'd punch the shit out of you. You wouldn't be here without a black eye." Falco quipped with a wink. "But who cares, never really liked the guy anyway."

"Not helping."

"When do I _ever _help?"

"_Never_" Fox bit back, checking his phone again. "So what, you came here just to make fun of me?"

"Wanna go grab something to eat with me? Don't wanna go on my own." _Of course..._

Reluctantly, Fox rose from his seat. "Sure, but I don't wanna be out too long."

* * *

Wolf put his phone away, taking another swig of his drink. It'd been an hour since he'd arrived at this dingy bar, and he didn't feel all that drunk. _These fuckers better not be watering my drinks down. _His nose wrinkled at the mix of sweat, alcohol, and smoke; it's not like they could go anywhere else though.

The events of the day left Wolf with a bad taste in his mouth, he was _pissed,_ and not in the way he wanted. So instead, he decided to use alcohol to wash it out. His team had followed along too, Krystal and Panther decided to sit at a table somewhere more secluded, but Leon sat beside Wolf at the bar. From the looks of it, Leon looked to be enjoying himself more than he was. "What shit you drinkin' to get that bad? Mine ain't doin' shit." Wolf chugged the remainder, placing it down with more force than necessary.

"I already know you don't like wine, Wolf. It's too sophisticated a taste for you." Leon stuck his tongue out, his playful expression changing into a more serious one. "Boss."

"Enough of that 'boss' talk, wha-"

"Vod and coke, please." _Motherf..._

"What you doing here, pup?" Venom dripped from Wolf's words, mood somehow worsening. Fox was _far_ too casual for his liking.

"Just here to enjoy myself, can't a person drink?"

Wolf rolled his eye. "Not here." Wolf sent Krystal a glare, and she returned with an apologetic one. "How'd you find me?"

"Just happened to, nothing more."

"Lying isn't a good look for you." Leon beat Wolf to the punch, equally as hostile as Wolf. "What, you think you're sly? We've lived with liars all our lives."

"Fine, Krys told me, that good enough for you?"

"Why'd you ask?" Wolf questioned, turning to face Fox. "Didn't I tell you earlier not to talk to me?" There's no way Krystal would've done so without being asked, it was clear to _everyone _just how peeved Wolf was.

"_Come back when you learn a thing or two, _I believe were your words?"

"Hah, like you—" Leon was interrupted by Wolf raising a hand.

"Go sit with the others for a while, this might take a while."

"But..." The look on Wolf's face told Leon to reconsider. "Fine."

Once Leon was away, Wolf decided to continue. "In case it wasn't obvious, I don't wanna have to deal with you, so you got 5 minutes."

"Got it, I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I didn't mean for what I said to come off that way, I should've worded it better."

Wolf hated that he was listening to this, the hope that he was telling the truth bothered him more than anything. "You think you worked it all out? In _this _little time?"

"I talked with Falco a bit, he made me realise how much of an ass I was." The bartender placed Fox's drink in front of him. Fox thanked him curtly and handed over the money; a needlessly large bill for the price. _Must be nice... _Wolf thought bitterly.

Wolf ordered another drink while the barkeep was close. "Might as well be talking to _Falco _then, since he's the one who really gets it."

Fox huffed in response. "Why do you hate me?"

"I don't hate you Fox. But you've sorely mistaken something."

"I know, I got overzealous." Fox took a sip of his drink, slightly cringing at the taste. "Friends might be out of the question, but I want to work towards _something. _Something we can both profit from."

"That's your conclusion?" Wolf's right ear flopped, glancing away. "Continue."

"Well, it's been pretty established that we don't go well together." Fox's words cut more than they should, Wolf's other ear followed suit. "You say you don't hate me but, you sure as hell don't like me, otherwise you wouldn't be this difficult."

Wolf's drink quickly arrived, taking a large draught from it. "That ain't true either, you gonna stop beating around the bush or _actually _apologise. Unless, you don't _actually _know what you're talking about."

"Yeah, I didn't know what you wanted and didn't think properly, I'm sorry."

"That wasn't the problem." Wolf sighed rubbing his eyes with his free hand. "You really need it spelling out?" _Calm down, calm down, calm down..._

Fox's eyes widened. "I guess I _do _need help then."

"Who am I, Fox. _What _are we?"

"Wolf O'Donnell, former overlord of the Meteo pirate ring." Wolf clicked his tongue at the snide remark. "We're rivals, who've fought in the past and still fight."

Wolf's head draped backwards as he took a long, laboured breath. "Think broader." While rivals wasn't technically wrong, Wolf saw things differently.

"We're mercenaries..?"

"Right, and _what _do mercenaries do?" Wolf continued with his leading questions, a small part hoping Fox would realise what he did; it wouldn't help if he just _told _Fox_. _He wouldn't learn.

"Isn't that a bit vague?" Fox turned his head down in thought. "What _do _we do? We do the dirty work no one else wants to."

"That's the way you see it? Naive."

Fox's head turned fiercely, clearly annoyed at the insult. "Fine, if you know so much _you _tell me!"

"Tell me, did you think what you were doing was right?" Wolf tapped his fingers against his glass.

"Of course! I wouldn't do anything I thought was wrong!"

The sense of self-righteousness disgruntled Wolf, "So what makes you think I'm different?" but also served to help his point.

"I..." _Bingo._

"You didn't _realise _that?" Wolf took another haphazard swig, slowly realising the alcohol was starting to hit him now. "I don't want your forgiveness, pup. I ain't done nothing needing to be forgiven, least of all by _you."_

"You have a point there," Fox started, displeased by the remark. "but don't act as if you're exempt from your mistakes."

"The _fuck's _that supposed to mean?" Calming down was an impossibility now.

"You think I have nothing to forgive?! How about all those times your team attacked us, the problems and stress you've put us through? Whether you care to admit it or not, you _still _sided with a madman bent on domination. You _still _killed my father."

Wolf abruptly stood, turning away from Fox. "I don't want to hear this from you. I did what I had to." He made his move outside to a closed off smoking area, Fox trailing behind. Stagnant air filled his lungs; to say it was outside, it wasn't well ventilated. Thankfully it was empty, because it seemed like Fox had more to say, and Wolf didn't particularly want to make a scene.

"Right, you did what you had to so you did _nothing _wrong. Is that really what you tell yourself? You decided to follow the man who betrayed the system's peace for power?"

"Andross wasn't always like that." His fist clenched. Wolf was the one who was betrayed, not him. _What does he know._

"I don't _care _if he was or wasn't! But you could have always jumped ship, you chose to stay."

The sudden urge to take another drink filled Wolf, suddenly realising he'd left it back inside. "Like you'd know, you think I haven't realised that I'm the bad guy to you?" It was all the same. The iconic phrase — and his pet peeve — "The Fox McCloud of Venom" had become engraved into everyone. He's the poster boy for it all, and somewhere along the line he realised it was pointless fighting against it. Wolf had to survive somehow, so he took that title in stride. The bounty he'd accumulated was proof of that. It wasn't just going to disappear.

To hell with the rest.

"You still don't realise I don't see you as the bad guy, do you?" The question stumped Wolf. Here he was, granted the opportunity to remove his bounty, to be a free man. "Sure, you killed my dad, or was at least part of it. Truly forgiving that might be hard for me, you don't know how long that hurt, and it still does."

"I _told _you I—"

"I don't care if you _had_ to do it. You still wronged me, expecting me not to forgive you is out of the question, unless you're really that self centred."

"And what makes you think I'm not?"

"Because you wouldn't have come to talk with me in the first place."

_Shit..._ It was true he wanted to fix their relations, suddenly realising that earlier he might've idiotically given it away that he wanted to be friends. But his anger wouldn't subside just from that. There's too much bad blood between them.

"You're doing an awful lot of blaming, yet you ain't exempt either. Don't think I forgot about you attacking Sargasso, the hundreds you killed just to get your own way."

"We've both done a lot to each other, I also know that; but I _never _said that _I _haven't done anything needing to be forgiven too." The second bullet of his case. He hated how much sound Fox's argument was, despite the underlying ignorance. "You fought us, we fought you. But that's the part I want to move past."

"Things like that don't just disappear, you really think that's possible?"

Fox smiled in earnest, his angry outbreak dissipating. "I do, and I know it'll take work, but I'm willing to put that work in."

Thoughts from earlier that day invaded his mind. _"How can you trust her?" _Bitter recollection fought against him. _They're all the same. Nothing changes. _It really was stupid to forgive and forget. Panther's heart is too big for his own good, he's just going to get hurt again. _I won't do the same. _

Though, their case was different. What was _really_ the benefit in Wolf doing so? To play pretend friends? They don't need to get along. They don't need to do anything. It'll just cause complications. Their jobs would always get in the way, inevitably leading into another fight; thus, all his work crumbles from beneath his feet.

But it hurt him more knowing he _wanted _to forgive Fox.

Contemplating letting go the contempt he felt. Right now, that's all he wanted to do, but his resentment wouldn't let that happen — at least without a fight. _Am I willing to put up that fight?_

Fox gingerly placed a hand against Wolf's shoulder, sparking him out of his deliberation. The cold had sucked all of his rage, making him feel empty. The comforting hand, whether that was it's intention or not, was the only heat Wolf felt. "So, what do you say... Friends?"

Wolf shook his head, brushing the hand off. "Don't get ahead of yourself. I'll... You get a _chance_, and we'll see where that goes from there." Fox's ears perked, his tail wagging; the declaration of delight almost urged Wolf to do the same, but he held off.

Instead, he placed a hand against his temple. His brain felt like it was going to implode. _Fuck, I think I drank too much._

"So, uh... What now?" Fox inquired.

"Dunno about you, I'm off home. I feel dizzy."

Fox laughed. "How much did you _drink?_"

"Shut it, I drank a lot because it wasn't doing anything."

"Wait, you do realise it takes time to get in your system, right..?" Wolf bit his lip, ducking away slightly. "You _didn't?! _I expected you'd know this."

Fox's jovial jabs slightly vexed Wolf, but at the same time it wasn't too unwelcome. "I don't drink a lot, okay? It's hard to when you don't know if anyone around you is gonna turn around and kill you any moment." Again turning the lighthearted mood more serious.

"I suppose." Fox shrugged, checking the time on his watch. "I'll walk you out then, since I don't really have a reason to stay."

"What, not gonna say hi to Krystal?"

Now it was Fox's turn to look bashful. "I know we sort of left on good terms but, it's still pretty awkward. She doesn't hold it against me, but..."

"Ah, whatever; another time." Wolf brushed it off, not wanting to get into more problems. He tossed his phone to Fox, who nearly missed. "Tell my team I'm off while we leave, can't be arsed tellin' 'em."

Moving through the building, the two now stood at the entrance. A minor amount of people (mainly party goers) roamed the streets, though it wasn't even _that _late. Fox handed his phone back and the two stood awkwardly for a moment. "You sure you're good?"

"What you mean?" Wolf turned to him.

"Where you off? I could walk you, if you want. I don't know how much you've drank but if you end up collapsing, you could get caught."

It suddenly hit him. Fox was going against Corneria just _being _with him. Fox wasn't here to collect his bounty, but instead to try _remove _it. It sparked a long lost warmth in his chest; one now which felt foreign to him; one which he didn't want to explain; one which he thought he'd forgotten.

And the one which he despised himself for feeling.

"Fine. Let's get going, but one thing and you're gone." Wolf fought with what little determination of distrust he had. This wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

**End note:**

Okay so, another new multi-chapter story. With that, I want to give a bit of clarity on my previous stuff.

A New Perspective: Until I have finished my revisions of the previous chapters, and added another few intermediate ones, this won't be added upon, and doing so might take a long while.

Solitary Midnight: It's kind of become a smut fic, which put me off adding it for a long time. I do have more plans for it, but it'll be on the back burner before this and...

Eclipse: I kind of suck at the fluff, and I don't want to release it because it doesn't feel natural, but that has 1 more chapter that's half done (though that doesn't say much on how long it will take.)

Sorry for leaving this many stories unfinished but... There is no but, sorry.


End file.
